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By Any Other Name (episode)
Extragalactic aliens hijack the Enterprise and turn the crew into inert solids, leaving the four senior officers on their own to exploit their captors' weakness. Summary Responding to a ship's distress call, Captain Kirk's landing party (including Spock, McCoy, Lieutenant Shea and Yeoman Thompson) beams down to a planet in search of survivors. A male and female humanoid placidly approach, demanding the surrender of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]]. Activating neural fields from devices on their belts, the aliens leave the landing party frozen but conscious in their places. The male humanoid, Rojan, calmly explains the party's new circumstances. The female, Kelinda, disarms them. A scout from the Kelvan Empire of the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy, Rojan seeks a new home for his imperiled civilization. The multi-generation starship used in the crossing was destroyed at the Galactic barrier, requiring Rojan to take the Enterprise. Once modified with Kelvan technology for the 300-year voyage home, Rojan's descendants could report on the suitability of the Milky Way Galaxy for Kelvan conquest and occupation. The landing party is imprisoned in a nearby cave, guarded by Kelinda, while other Kelvans quickly take control of the Enterprise. Using his mind meld ability to fool the guard, Spock's attempt is thwarted before establishing an effective link, but Kelinda is distracted enough to get knocked unconscious by Kirk. The party's freedom lasts only a moment before Rojan and Hanar recapture them. In a display of power, Rojan orders Shea and Thompson taken aside. Hanar and Kelinda use their belt devices for a new purpose, instantly distilling the crew members into small cubeoctahedral solids. Rojan crushes one solid. declaring Thompson dead. The other is spared, and Shea is restored. Returned to confinement, Spock reports on what little he learned from his interrupted mind meld. He describes the Kelvan's native appearance as something far from the local humanoid norm, confirming the aliens expressed unease in their new humanoid 'shells'. The five Kelvans oversee the entire crew and Enterprise upgrades. Once underway, Kirk is permitted the center seat, with Rojan nearby and with Kelvan female Drea at the helm. Accelerating to warp 11, the Galactic Barrier is now a mere hour away. Spock and Mr. Scott learn that an attempt to disable the Kelvan belt devices at their source is hopeless. They prepare another option for Kirk, a self-destruct trigger to use at the Barrier. The Barrier looms and tension flares on the bridge. Spock and Scotty are anxious for Kirk to order the destruct trigger, but the Captain hesitates, finally ordering them to disable the trigger. At Barrier contact, Enterprise shudders and engines strain, but she breaks forward into a starless void lit only by a distant Andromeda. With too many to guard and too many to feed, Rojan declares the Enterprise crew extraneous, converting them into inert solids. As necessary specialists, Kirk and his three senior officers are allowed to remain animate with free range of the ship. Kirk and officers are discussing their predicament over a meal in the mess when the Kelvan Tomar expresses an interest in the foods humanoids prefer over his Kelvan nutritional pills. The officers notice the inordinate pleasure the alien takes from a typical meal, and begin to speculate on Kelvan inexperience with their radically different new humanoid bodies and new sensory perceptions. Inspired, four officers split up, each targeting a Kelvan and introducing the alien to a different form of sensory overload. Scotty wades in first, luring Tomar into a drinking tour of the Federation. In sickbay, McCoy suggests that Hanar might be ill, and starts pumping him with stimulants. :Before the others can reach their marks, Scotty and Tomar manage to polish off a bottle of Saurian brandy. Kirk decides to focus his energies on the Kelvan who's taken the form of an exotically attractive, young and blonde female, Kelinda. Kirk apologizes for previously striking her, kissing her neck where his blow fell, quickly moving to her lips. Kelinda admonishes Kirk at first, knowing this must be a seduction, but she admits she's not opposed to the experience. Kirk plays hard to get, rewarded by Kelinda pulling him in for more. Rojan interrupts, puzzled, and Kirk hurries away. Kelinda explains the human 'apology' ritual, demonstrating it on a nonplussed Rojan. :Scotty and Tomar finish their second bottle. Over a game of three-dimensional chess with Spock, Rojan expresses his confusion about the apology. Spock blithely suggests Kirk and Kelinda's motivations might have been otherwise, or perhaps Rojan was just experiencing jealousy. Rojan denies the emotion, but Spock is able to needle him into visible aggravation. :Scotty confounds the universal translator and starts pouring something green. Rojan confronts Kelinda, forbidding Kirk to her. Kelinda insists she'll do as she pleases, inciting Rojan to grab her, roughly. In sickbay, pushing another hypo, McCoy tells an irritated Hanar that he'll definitely need more of his new drug therapy. :Indomitably vertical, Tomar asks for more, forcing Scotty to break into his secret stash. The officers meet for a progress report, noting the absence of Scotty. Kelinda interrupts, her eyes only for the Captain, asking for another apology. Spock goes the bridge, glibly reporting on the forbidden meeting, bluntly suggesting that Rojan has lost control. :Victorious on the battlefield, Mr. Scott watches the twitchy collapse of Tomar and fondly kisses his expended weapon of last resort. Stealing Tomar's belt device, he staggers away to report, but collapses into a druken stupor before he makes the door. Rojan, incensed, storms in on Kelinda and Kirk, deep in the midst of apology. Rojan repeats his orders, but Kirk holds her and claims his possession. Enraged, Rojan pulls the two apart. Not yet satisfied with Rojan's anger, Kirk slaps the Kelvan twice, inciting Rojan to lunge in fury. As they fight, Kirk taunts Rojan, saying he's not acting Kelvan anymore, but like a human. Head-locked by Kirk, Rojan is forced to consider how much he's changed in a short time, and how unrecognizable his descendants would be upon their arrival 'home'. Rojan finally eases when reminded the core of his mission was finding a new home, something that could still be done with the Federation's help, in friendship. Rojan's crew could experience life as humanoids on a vibrant world, while a robot ship took their message on the long, tedious journey to the Kelvan Empire. Rojan considers a life with these new physical sensations, and asks Kelinda if she'll stay with him, receiving her enthusiastic apology. Kirk's command is restored, and the Enterprise turns back for the Milky Way. Log entries *''Captain’s log, stardate 4657.5. Work is proceeding on the Enterprise as my crew is forced to make the required changes in the ship for intergalactic travel. I can't forget the picture of Yeoman Thompson, crushed to a handful of dust. '' *''Captain’s log, stardate 4658.9. With the Enterprise under control of the Kelvans, we are approaching the energy barrier at the edge of our galaxy. Spock and Scotty have devised a suicide plan to stop the Kelvans. They have rigged the ship to explode on my signal. '' Memorable Quotes "Oh- you are trying to seduce me." :- Kelinda "I see no reason to refer to yourself in the plural!" :- Hanar "Ah found this ina Da.. Dunnaroom... a.. ah.. Danermil... me.. eh..." "What is it?" "It's....uh.....it's green." :- Scotty and Tomar Background Information * The title is part of a quotation used in the episode, from Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene ii. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It is often used to convey the idea that although you can change the name of something, its nature will remain the same. In this case, the Kelvans become human; in doing so, they must start behaving as humans do. It is in their nature to do so. * A bit of trivia from this episode would be revisited by TNG: "Relics". In that episode, too, the drink served is unidentified by the server, with Data repeating Scotty's line that it is "green." Captain Picard later informs Scotty that it is Aldeberan whiskey. A close listen to Scotty's slurred description of the bottle he shows to Tomar suggests Scotty might have known the name before this episode, only to forget it later as the possible result of binge drinking. * Scotty's quarters are seen only in this episode. Decorations include drafting tools, a tartan kilt, bagpipes and medieval armor. * Unusually for TOS, direct references to two previous episodes are made. At Rojan's mention of the Galactic barrier, Kirk says "We've been there." - "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Later, Kirk recalls their imprisonment on Eminiar VII and Spock's use of his mind-meld to fool the guards. - "A Taste of Armageddon" * According to David Gerrold, the writers could not figure out how the Kelvans could eliminate the crew. While in Roddenberry's office, someone spotted a Mexican onyx dodecahedron on his desk and suggested that they be transformed into objects of that shape. *George Takei (Sulu) does not appear in this episode. This is the tenth consecutive in which he does not. * Although Kirk tells Charles Evans "There's no right way to hit a woman", this episode and "The Gamesters of Triskelion" are two in which he knocks females out with a punch to the jaw. This incident is more defensible than the "Triskelion" occurence, as the argument could be made that the Kelvans aren't "real" men or women. Production timeline * Revised final script: * Filmed mid-November. Links and References Main cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * James Doohan as Scott * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura * Walter Koenig as Chekov * Majel Barrett as Christine Guest Stars * Warren Stevens as Rojan * Barbara Bouchet as Kelinda * Stewart Moss as Hanar * Robert Fortier as Tomar * Leslie Dalton as Drea * Carl Byrd as Lt. Shea * Julie Cobb as Leslie Thompson (credited as "Yeoman") Co-Stars * Eddie Paskey as Leslie (uncredited) * William Blackburn as Hadley (uncredited) * Frank da Vinci as Brent (uncredited) * Roger Holloway as Roger Lemli (uncredited) * Paul Baxley as William Shatner's stunt double References alcohol; Andromeda Galaxy; formazine; Ganymede; Rigelian Kassaba fever; Kelva; Kelvan; Kelvan Empire; sahsheer; Saurian brandy; Shakespeare, William; stokaline External Links * Category:TOS episodes de:Stein und Staub fr:By Any Other Name nl:By Any Other Name